Shampooing and scrubbing device



Sept. 27, 966 E. G. FRANKLIN 3,274,632

SHAMPOOING AND SCRUBBING DEVICE Filed Dec. 28, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 27, 1966 5. ca. FRANKLIN 3,274,632

SHAMPOOING AND SCRUBBING DEVICE Filed Dec. 28, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet z 9 #7 area 7 Se t. 27, 1966 E. G. FRANKLIN SHAMPOOING AND SCRUBBING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 28, 1964 Sept. 27, 1966 E. e. FRANKLIN SHAMPOOING AND SCRUBBING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 28, 1964 United States Patent 3,274,632 SHAMPOOING AND SCRUBBING DEVICE Edmond G. Franklin, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Dec. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 421,538 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-29) The present invention relates particularly to a shampooing and scrubbing device which is very compact, and is adapted to be held in a persons hand and manipulated about in use. In the average home there are many small cleaning and polishing tasks which must be performed periodically. These tasks are usually carried out without the aid of a power driven appliance because the devices previously available were quite bulky and difficult to manipulate. Also, previous devices have been quite costly and difiicult to operate so that they were used only by professional service organizations. Many relatively small cleaning tasks such as shampooing upholstered furniture are often neglected due to the lack of a suitable appliance which could be easily operated by a housewife. Upholstered furniture and rugs are often permanently stained by spilled liquids because the average home lacks a suitable device for quickly and efiiicently shampooing the spot before it has a chance to set. Many other small cleaning tasks such as removing stubborn marks from walls and scrubbing bathroom areas require a good deal of labor and are very time consuming.

A device for performing cleaning tasks such as mentioned above should be very compact so that it can be hand-held and easily manipulated. At the same time the device should have a power operated scrubbing means and a means for generating foam or soap suds from a detergent so that the area being cleaned will not be saturated with liquid The device should also have a power operated pump for supplying liquid to the device from a separate supply receptacle so that the liquid need not be replenished at frequent intervals.

Therefore, it is a principal object of this invention to construct a shampooing and scrubbing appliance having a power operated scrubbing means, foam generating means and pump means all arranged in a novel and compact manner on a casing which is adapted to be handheld and easily manipulated.

It is a further object of this invention to construct a shampooing and scrubbing device having a peristaltic type of pump incorporated therein and arranged with the other elements of the device in a novel and advantageous manner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a hand-held shampooing and scrubbing device with a means for generating foam from a detergent at a point above the surface being cleaned.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view of a shampooing device having the features of the present invention embodied therein.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of a shampooing device with portions of the casing cut away for clarity.

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the device in FIGURE 2 with the top of the casing removed.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken in the direction of arrows 4-4 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view taken in the direction of arrows 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 5a is a bottom plan view taken in the same direction as FIGURE 5 and showing the pump in working position.

FIGURE 6 is a bottom plan view taken in the direction 3,274,632 Patented Sept. 27, 1966 of arrows 6-6 in FIGURE 4 and with parts cut away for clarity.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the brush back taken in the direction of arrows 7-7 in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the pump valve used in the device of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 9 is a top view of the pump valve inserted into the liquid supply tube.

FIGURE 10 is a view taken in the direction of arrows 10-10 of FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 10a is a view taken in the direction of arrows 10-10 of FIGURE 9 and showing the structure -when the pump is in operation.

FIGURE 11 is a perspective View showing the brush and pump rotor of the present invention and the driving connection between them.

FIGURE 12 is a side view of the pump valve inserted into the liquid supply tube.

Referring now to the drawing, FIGURE 1 shows a shampooing device 1 having the features of the present invention incorporated therein. The device has a power cord 2 and a flexible liquid supply tube 3 of elastomeric material such as rubber composition or the like leading to a supply receptacle 4. As shown in FIGURE 2, the shampooing device has a casing comprising top cover portion 5 removably secured to bottom portion 6 as by screws 7 and 8. Mounted inside bottom casing portion 6 is a motor and motor supporting frame 9. Screws 10 and 11 extend into bored projections as at 12 in FIGURE 2 to secure motor frame 9 in place. The front of motor frame 9 has a worm gear 14 projecting therefrom which is an extension of the motor armature shaft. The bottom front portion of motor frame 9 is formed with a vertically bored enlargement 15 which receives a gear shaft 16 with a press fit so that shaft 16 is not rotatable in the bore of enlargement 15. Shaft 16 extends above enlargement 15 and receives worm wheel gear 17 and sleeve bearing 18. Gear 17 is held in place by a lock washer 19 fitted over the top of shaft 16. Gear 17 is preferably of molded plastic and is formed with a bottom gear portion 20 of reduced diameter. Bottom gear portion 20 meshes with gear 21 fixed on brush shaft 22. Brush shaft 22 is rotatably received in sleeve bearing 23 which is in turn received in a bore in a projection 24 upstanding from the bottom of bottom casing portion 6. Brush shaft 22 is formed with screw threads on its lower end 25 for mounting brush 26 or other scrubbing attachments having a trapped nut 27 molded therein. The lower end of gear mounting shaft 16 is received in a recess formed in projection 28 upstanding from the bottom wall of bottom casing portion 6. This arrangement positions shaft 16 for proper meshing engagement between bottom gear portion 20 of gear 17 and gear 21on brush shaft 22.

A switch 29 is mounted in the front of bottom casing portion 6 by screws 30 and 31 which are threaded into bores formed in projections upstanding from the bottom Wall of casing portion 6. Switch 29 has a slide button 32 thereon which is received in a notch in actuating member 33. Actuating member '33 extends completely across bottom casing portion 6 and through the opposite sidewalls thereof as shown. Actuating member is reciprocable by pushing on one end or the other thereof with the thumb or finger and this movement in turn slides button 32 back .and forth to turn the motor on or off.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and 5 the outside front bottom of easing portion 6 is formed in a circular shape and has a downwardly projecting flange 34 on the periphery thereof. The area inside of flange 34 defines a mounting space 35 for a pump and pump control mechanism. Liquid supply tube 3 enters space 35 through a hole in flange 34. Tube 3 is then trained through a channel formed by wall portions 36 and 37 which project downul) wardly from casing portion 6 into space 35. Tube 3 then extends over rollers 38, 39 and 40 mounted on the periphery of [rotor 41. Rotor 41 is freely rota-table on shaft 22 and is driven by cooperative mating teeth formed on the rotor and brush 26 as shown in FIGURE 11. Teeth 90 on rotor 41 and teeth 91 .on brush 26 are self aligning and rotation of brush 26 through shaft 22 drives rotor 41 by means of teeth 90 and 91 to operate the pump. To engage the teeth when securing brush 26 to shaft 22 the motor is turned on to rotate shaft 22 which causes threaded end 25 on shaft 22 to draw nut 27 upward and with brush 26 held against rotation teeth 90 and 91 are brought into engagement by the axial movement of brush 26 on shaft 22. It is possible to key rotor 41 to shaft 22 as by a spline but the drive through the brush -is preferable because other brushes without teeth as 91 can be used for polishing and rotor 41 will not be rotated thereby decreasing wear on the pump parts. Tube 3 is then run past an abutment 43 and beneath a holding block 44 which is secured to casing portion 6 by a screw 45. Tube 3 is held by holding block 44 tight enough to prevent movement of the tube but not so tight that the tube is completely collapsed. Tube 3 then extends through a hole in shroud member 46 and extends along the inside top wall thereof as shown in FIGURE 6. Inserted int-o the end of tube 3 is a valve member 47 which has an insert portion and a rear portion with a hole 48 therein. The insert portion of valve member 47 is substantially wider than the inside diameter of tube 3 so that when the valve 47 is inserted into the end of tube 3 the tube is stretched considerably as shown in FIGURES 9 and 10. The tight engagement between the side edges of the insert portion of valve 47 and the walls of tube 3 holds the valve in place. The top and bottom surfaces of the insert portion are slightly curved outwardly as shown in FIGURE so that the tube 3 tightly hugs valve member 47 to tightly seal the tube and prevent drainage of liquid back into receptacle 4 when the pump is not opera-ting. When the pump is operated the pressure of the liquid in tube 3 stretches tube 3 away from contact with the curved surfaces of Valve 47 as shown in FIGURE 10a and permits liquid to flow. As shown in FIGURES 4 and 6 the hole in valve member 47 is placed in tight engagement over projection 49 on shroud member 46. This holds the valve 47 and end of tube 3 in proper positon for delivery of liquid to the scrubbing tools. Inside of space 35 an arcuate member 50 is pivotally mounted on pin projection 51. When arcuate member 50 is in position shown in FIGURE 5 the space between rollers 3840 and member 50 is greater than the diameter of tube 3 so that rotation of rotor 41 will not compress tube 3 and no liquid will flow. When arcuate member 50 is pivoted toward rotor 41 as shown in FIGURE 5a the space between the rollers 3840 and member 50 is substantially closed and rotation of rotor 41 causes rollers 38-40 to progressively compress tube 3 thereby drawing liquid from receptacle 4 and discharging it through the end of tube 3 and past valve 47. Movement of arcuate member 50 toward and away from rotor 41 is controlled by a finger lever 51 secured to the top of a shaft 52 which is rotatably mounted in a bore through bottom casing portion 6 and extends into space 35 defined by flange 34 as shown in FIG. 4. Shaft 52 has a laterally extending cam portion 53 on its lower end within space 35. A U-shaped connecting member 54 has one end held in a hole in arcuate member 50 and the other end received in a notch in cam portion 53. Fixed to the bottom of finger lever 51 is a flat laterally extending arm 55 which projects through a slot 56 in the sidewall of bottom casing portion 6. Secured to the end of arm 55 is a coiled tension spring 57 which is fixed at its other end to a projection 58 extending upwardly from the bottom wall of casing portion 6. As viewed from the top in FIGURE 3 the action of spring 57 pivots lever 51 and shaft 52 in a counterclockwise-direction. As viewed in FIGURE 5 this is a clockwise movement of shaft 52 which pulls arouate member away from rotor 41 by acting through arm 53 and connecting member 54. When lever 51 is rotated in a clockwire direction as viewed in FIGURE 3 by finger pressure the holding force of spring 57 is overcome and as viewed in FIGURE 5a shaft 52 is moved counterclockwise. This frees spring 95 to force arcuate member 50 toward rotor 41. Tube 3 is then compressed between arcuate member 50 and rollers 38-40 on rotor 41. The pulling force of spring 57 is greater than the pushing force of spring 95 so that spring 95 does not move atrcuate member 50 toward rotor 41 until the pulling force of spring 57 is relieved by rotating finger lever 51. Pumping action is selectively obtained simply by pressing and releasing lever 51 with ones finger. A rod 96 is placed internally of spring95 to keep the spring from deflecting sideways.

Shroud 46 is securedly held to casing portion 6 over flange 34 by screws as at in FIGURE 6 which are threaded into holes 56, 97 and 58 formed in projections extending into spaces 35 from casing 6.

As shown in FIGURE 4, brush shaft 22 extends through a central bore in projection 59 on shroud member 56. A circular piece of urethane foam sponge 60 is placed within shroud 46 in the space between projection 59 and the outer depending flange of shroud 46. A flat circular metal wobble plate 61 is then placed within shroud 46 over sponge 60 and is held in place by a split ring retainer 62 which is snapped over radially projecting lugs 63, 64, 65 and 66. Wobble plate 61 has a plurality of holes therein as shown in FIGURE 6 only one of which is indicated by a numeral 67. A pin 68 is wedged into a hole in the top wall of shroud member 46 and projects through sponge 60 and one of the holes in plate 61 as shown in FIGURE 4. Brush 26 has a pair of lugs 69 and 70 projecting upwardly from the back thereof with lug 69 being approximately twice as high as lug 70.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 the rear of the motor armature shaft has a cooling air fan 71 mounted thereon for drawing air through an opening 72 in the bottom of easing 6 (FIGURE 5) and discharging it through slots (not shown) in the back of casing cover 5. A cover member 73 is secured to the bottom of casing 6 by screw 74 to cover opening 72, and guide power cord 2 and liquid tube 3 into device 1. Member 73 has slots as at 75 and 76 formed therein to all-ow cooling air to enter opening 72. In operation the device is started by pushing on one end of rod 33 with the thumb or finger to actuate switch 29 and start the motor. This causes worm gear 14 to drive brush shaft 22 through gears 17, 20 and 21. Rotation of brush 26 causes wobble plate 61 to wobble up and down due to movement of lug 69 and the plate in turn causes sponge 69 to be alternately compressed and expanded. Pump rotor 41 is driven .by brush 26 and is also rotating. Clockwise movement of finger lever 51 moves arcuate member 50 toward pump rotor 41, and rollers 3840 continuously and progressively compress tube 3 thereby drawing detergent from receptacle 4 and discharging it past valve 47. The detergent soaks sponge 60, and the alternate compression and expansion of the sponge causes the formation of suds or foam from the detergent solution. The foam is squeezed from sponge 60 and passes through the holes as at 67 in wobble plate 61. The foam then passes through openings 77-80 (FIG. 7) in the back of brush 26 and also passes around the side of brush 26. The foam then is deposited on the surface being treated and is agitated by bristles on brush 26. The operation of the pump is started and stopped to selectively supply a desired amount of detergent simply by pressing or releasing finger lever 51. Generation of foam from the detergent solution at a point above the surface being cleaned advantageously provides a substance for floating and loosening dirt from the surface being cleaned without saturating the surface to such an extent that it would take days to dry out. When the pump is turned oif valve 47 keeps the liquid in tube 3 from draining back into receptacle 4 so that when the pump is again turned on liquid will immediately flow from the tube 3 into sponge 60. Pin 67 keeps sponge 60 from rotating with brush 26 so that alternate compression and expansion of the sponge will occur. Pin 67 also keeps plate 61 from rotating with respect to sponge 60 to prevent excessive wear and tearing of sponge 60. Lug 70 spaces plate 61 above the back of brush 26 to prevent contact between the .brush back and pin 67.

The pump employed in the present invention is of the peristaltic type and its incorporation into the present device provides a novel, advantageous and inexpensive manner of supplying detergent solution to the device from a separate receptacle.

The pump rotor 41 of the present device has three rollers '3'8-40 thereon spaced equidistantly circumferentially thereon, although more or less rollers could be employed. With three rollers the degree of arc on mem- 'ber 50 which compresses tube 3 between the rollers is in excess of 120 degrees so that one roller is always compressing tube 3 when rotor 41 is rotated to provide a continuous progressive compression of tube 3.

The arrangement of all of the elements in the present device in a compact manner provides -a functional device which is easily manipulatable and capable of performing cleaning tasks which previously had to be done by hand or with clumsy and expensive equipment. The novel arrangement of the elements of the device makes operation of the device very simple and eflicient. Providing a suds generating means prevents saturation of areas being cleaned and provides a cleaning medium which is easily seen on any surface being cleaned so that the operator can readily tell how much fluid is being supplied. The novel arrangement of parts in the present device into a compact unitary combination will be recognized by those skilled in the art as providing a power operated sh'ampooing and scrubbing tool of a type which has not heretofore been available.

While only one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described it is to be understood that this embodiment is only illustrative and is not to be taken in a limiting sense. The present invention includes all equivalent variations of the disclosed embodiment and is limited only by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A hand held and manipulatable scrubbing device comprising;

(a) a casing, said casing having a handle portion dimensioned to be easily grasped in a persons hand,

(b) a shaft having a first end portion rotatably mounted on said casing and a second end portion projecting from said casing,

(c) scrubbing means mounted on said second end portion of said shaft,

(d) sponge type foam generating means including a sponge mounted on said device and abutting against said casing adjacent said scrubbing means,

(e) self-priming positive displacement type of ptunp means on said device, said pump having an inlet and an outlet,

(f) said pump inlet being adapted to be connected to a liquid supply receptacle separate from said device,

(g) said pump outlet being positioned in contact with said sponge of said sponge type foam generating means between said sponge and said casing,

(h) driving means mounted within said casing for rotating said shaft and operating said pump and said foam generating means,

(i) and finger operated control means on the exterior of said casing adjacent said handle portion for selectively starting and stopping delivery of liquid from said pump to said foam generating means through said pump outlet,

(j) whereby liquid under pressure is selectively supplied to said foam generating means by operation of said control means and the location of said pump outlet in contact with said sponge between said casing and sponge provides active foam generation when said device is used to scrub vertical and sloping surfaces as well as horizontal surfaces.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said shaft is rotatably mounted on said casing at substantially right angles to said handle portion.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said pump is of the peristaltic type and includes a rotor having a plurality of contact means equidistantly spaced circumferentially thereon, said rotor being mounted for rotation about the same axis as said shaft whereby substantially no vibration or unbalanced forces are transmitted to said device by operation of said pump.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,480,662 1/ 1924 Caine 153'20 X 2,761,659 1/1956 Coplen 1532O 3,024,484 3/1962 Wallace 1S50 3,114,922 12/1963 Ballantyne 155O 3,140,666 7/1964 Currie 103-149 3,212,117 10/1965 Ernstberger 1550 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

E. I. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HAND HELD AND MANIPULATABLE SCRUBBING DEVICE COMPRISING; (A) A CASING, SAID CASING HAVING A HANDLE PORTION DIMENSIONED TO BE EASILY GRASPED IN A PERSON''S HAND, (B) A SHAFT HAVING A FIRST END PORTION ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID CASING AND A SECOND END PORTION PROJECTING FROM SAID CASING, (C) SCRUBBING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND END PORTION OF SAID SHAFT, (D) SPONGE TYPE FOAM GENERATING MEANS INCLUDING A SPONGE MOUNTED ON SAID DEVICE AND ABUTTING AGAINST SAID CASING ADJACENT SAID SCRUBBING MEANS, (E) SELF-PRIMING POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT TYPE OF PUMP MEANS ON SAID DEVICE, SAID PUMP HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET, (F) SAID PUMP INLET BEING ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A LIQUID SUPPLY RECEPTACLE SEPARATE FROM SAID DEVICE, (G) SAID PUMP OUTLET BEING POSITIONED INCONTACT WITH SAID SPONGE OF SAID SPONGE TYPE FOAM GENERATING MEANS BETWEEN SAID SPONGE AND SAID CASING, (H) DRIVING MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CASING FOR ROTATING SAID SHAFT AND OPERATING SAID PUMP AND SAID FOAM GENERATING MEANS, 